How are prisons profitable?

[LuckyG]

In the past little bit I've read a few articles and threads where it is stated that prison is a profitable business for whoever happens to be in charge. Maybe I'm missing something here, but how is incarcerating and providing food and shelter for people profitable?

LuckyG Reviewed by LuckyG on 05-28-2007. How are prisons profitable? In the past little bit I've read a few articles and threads where it is stated that prison is a profitable business for whoever happens to be in charge. Maybe I'm missing something here, but how is incarcerating and providing food and shelter for people profitable? Rating: 5

[KEGS]

Good question I Know that it's big business in texas.and Fl.
cheep labor i know some one doing time in levenworth and i pulled up the web page to see if I could find a address an inmate pin. thay make furniture and
do work out side the prison.

[ATrain]

Yeah, I think some prisons have simple machinery for mass producing stuff. I can't see many other ways :jointsmile:

[fishman3811]

Yeah i think they produce goods for whatever...basic slave labour just what corporations love

[PHATTY LUMPKINS]

Exactly, it is what corporations love. I know that they contract labor from State and Federal Correctional Agency's.(IE) Penetentiary's. to do everything from Welding to Furniture Making, Silkscreening, Telemarketing, Asbestos removal. This is just to name a few that I know of.They are also known as Correctional Industries. The pay Ranges from .40 cents per hour for some jobs. and up to minimum wages for others. Oh and by the way the dudes who get these jobs pay 30% of their gross pay to the state for room and board. It's a scam thats legal. you think those corporate Executives arent kicking down some cash to the right people, in order to get the state to allow them to operate with Inmate Labor? Dont be fooled. Prison is big business for State and Federal Govt.

[greentard]

There are alot of conspiracies on Prison labor being used to profit, from what I have learned from talking to people who run them that they actually lose money for the state no matter what they use the prisoners for. The real profits in the prison industry is when Privatized Prisons are contracted out to the States (either a US state, or a State as in a nation). Private Corporations have a profit motive to reduce costs and usually can do it much better than a government can as Government employees are Unionized and rarely profit motivated. Not taking a side one way or another due to my ignorance of how it all works, but profits in the prison industry only reward a privatized prison, not the government itself.

Who knows, what I heard might be all wrong.